Investigating the Effects of Diversity and Inclusion Practices on Organisational Performance: A Case Study of James Belgrave Micro Enterprise Development Fund Inc. (BELfund)

The
Proposal must contain comprehensive information
on each of the following subtopics:

Title

This should be short, sharp, and describe what your research
is about: it may also be a ‘working
title’ that

you
will revise as your
project develops.

Introduction

This component
provides the context and a situational analysis of the research
topic at hand. Ideally,
this is also where the research question and hypothesis are stated. It is important to explain
why the research subject was
chosen, and what the
relevance or rationale is for
undertaking research on the subject.

1.1  Background to the Study

The background
information provides sufficient content to the reader so they can understand the purpose of the experiment/study, the design, and the interpretation of the results.
The writer must research
the background information and properly cite all sources used. The background provides a general overview
of the topic of study
in the
first paragraph to introduce
the main idea(s).

1.2  The research problem

Explain how the problem
relates to business,
social, or political
trends by presenting data that demonstrates the scope and depth of the problem. This
should be supported by the use
of statistics. Try to give dramatic and concrete
illustrations of the problem.
After writing this section, make sure you can easily identify the single sentence
that is the problem
statement.

1.3  The research question
Research question(s)

A research
question is a clear, focused, concise, complex and arguable
question around which you center
your research. The specific purpose stated in the form of a question. A research
question is a narrow, challenging question that addresses an issue, problem or
controversy that is that is answered with a conclusion based on the analysis and interpretation of the evidence.

A research
question is a logical statement that progresses from what is known or believed
to be true to that which is unknown
and requires validation. You should ask a question
about an issue that you are genuinely curious about. Research questions assist by providing
a path through the research and writing
process. Developing
a good research question
is one of the first critical
steps in the research process.
The research question, when appropriately written, will guide the research
project and assist in the construction of a logical
argument.

1.4  The research
hypothesis (if applicable)

A
research hypothesis is a specific, clear, and testable proposition or predictive statement about the possible
outcome of a scientific research study based on a particular property of a population, such as presumed
differences between groups on a particular
variable or relationships between variables.

1.5  Rationale or purpose of the
study

This describes the goals, and objectives that are targets
and desired outcomes of work done by you to find answers to the problem
or issue under investigation. The purpose often starts with a single goal or statement that explains
what the study intends
to accomplish. A few typical statements
are:

The goal of this
study is to…

…overcome
the difficulty with…

…discover what…

…understand
the causes
and effects
of…

…refine our current understanding
of…

…provide
new interpretations of…

…understand what makes…successful or unsuccessful…

It is then followed
by a paragraph which describes the objectives that support the goal of the research investigation.

1.6  The aims and
objectives of the study

Aims: Are broad statements of desired outcomes, or the general intentions of the research, which ‘paint a picture’ of
your research project

▪        
Emphasize
what
is to be accomplished (not how it is to be accomplished)

▪        
Address the long-term project outcomes, i.e. they should reflect the aspirations and expectations of

the research
topic.

▪        
Once aims have been established, the next task is to formulate
the objectives. Generally, a project

should have no more than two or three aims statements, while it may include
a number of objectives consistent with them.

Objectives are subsidiary to aims and:

▪        
Are the steps you are going to take to answer your research questions
or a specific list of

tasks needed to accomplish the goals of the project.

▪        
Emphasize how
aims are to be accomplished.

▪        
Must be highly focused and feasible.

▪        
Address the
more immediate project outcomes.

▪        
Make accurate use
of concepts.

▪        
Must be
sensible and precisely described.

▪        
Should read as an ‘individual’ statement to convey
your intentions.

1.7  Significance of the research

The significance of the proposal will be evaluated
to determine if it addresses an important
research problem.
Applications will be evaluated to determine
if they are likely
to lead to advancement in scientific knowledge
and, specifically, to
determine if they will provide
evidence that is likely to
lead to a change in
social work policy and
i\

‘/ .ntervention. Your study should have a value not only to yourself but also to the management of your company, the community
where the research is conducted, the participants/respondents themselves. Furthermore, it should have an impact on your field of specialization and you should mention the sectors
that will be
benefited by your studies.

The significance of the study answers the questions:

▪        
Why is
your study important?

▪        
To whom is it important?

▪        
What benefit(s) will occur if your study is done?

1.8
Conclusion

Complete the chapter with a brief conclusion
which summarizes your main points and indicates to the readers
what comes next.

2.1  Literature Review

The purpose of a literature review is to determine
what the research says—and doesn’t say—about the topic. Here’s the main
point about a literature
review: It is not a paper on a
topic. It is a paper on the research about
a topic.

▪        
What do researchers know?

▪        
What do they not know?

▪        
What has been researched and what has
not
been researched?

▪        
Is the research reliable
and
trustworthy?

▪        
Where are the
gaps in the knowledge?

When
you compile all that together, you have yourself
a literature review.

Ensure that you conclude
the chapter by summarizing the main findings
of the literature review exercise and indicate
to the reader what comes next.

3.1  Proposed Methodology

The Methodology section describes the data that you will use in the research, the methodology to be adopted
and justify your choice of methodology

▪        
Inform readers of the
kinds of data going to be collected

▪        
Research procedure (interviews? observations? qquestionnaires?)

▪        
If outside organizations involved, explain how you are going to get hold of the
data.

▪        
Indicate why the
methodology is used.

▪        
If existing methodology is not to be used, explain
why you need to use an adapted

methodology.

3.2  Research Design

Research requires a design or a structure
before data collection or analysis can commence. A research design is not just a work plan. A work plan details what has to be done to complete
the project, but the work plan will flow from the project’s
research design. The function of a research
design is to ensure that the evidence
obtained enables
us to answer the initial
question as unambiguously
as possible.

Specify that the research for the dissertation is experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, causal- comparative,
quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, or another
design.

3.3  Setting and Participants

▪        
In a quantitative study, describe the geographic location where the study will take place,
cite recognizable landmarks such as a nearby urban city.
Describe the participant pool.

▪        
In a qualitative study, the decision
regarding the number of participants in a study becomes a

reflection the study’s purpose. Ten to twelve participants may prove sufficient in qualitative inquiries involving
the understanding of experiences
and
perceptions of participants. A successful purposeful sample in a
phenomenological study
could range from 1
to 40.